Interactive whiteboards are not just for schools or training anymore. Just as chalkboards have become obsolete in classrooms, so have whiteboards in business meeting rooms.

A new all-in-one device gives businesses the functionality of a large screen monitor, video camera and interactive white board. Until now, the devices had to be connected to another computer.

Now, it’s all built-in and the apps are becoming plentiful. Sharp's new 60-, 70-, and 80-inch interactive whiteboards (IWB) are among the new devices that take the traditional business meeting or presentation to an integrated and dynamic experience that has become the expectation in the classroom and meeting room.

Growth & Applications

Digital whiteboards, sometimes called SMART Boards after one of the brand name devices, have been in classrooms across the communities we serve for nearly a decade. When they made their debut, they allowed teachers to make learning even more dynamic and interactive. In this technology, a projector displays a computer desktop onto the screen of the board where users can use a pen, finger or stylus to perform tasks.

Today, interactive whiteboards are used in a variety of ways in classrooms from kindergarten to college. They account for 50 percent of the market and are expected to grow 20 percent by 2019, according to Futuresource research firm.

While the growth has been fast and almost exponential in education, the adoption has been much slower in corporate settings. I expect the new capabilities of these new all-in-one devices to change that. We’re already getting requests from business leaders.

What They Can Do

Here’s a look at what the new devices can do:

A high quality large screen display can be used for:

• Slide presentations
• Digital signage
• Video conferencing

Use an interactive whiteboard to:

• Jot down notes during brainstorming sessions.
• Draw diagrams or create visuals in real-time.
• Save, email or print notes from the device.
• Convert your handwritten notes to digitized text instantly.

The power of integrating the two:

• Built-in Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel and Word.
• Handwrite or type notes on screen or in a Word file for future use.
• Record entire presentations for future reference or sharing.
• Turn traditional slide presentation into an interactive session.
• Insert notes in presentations.
• Save or share real-time images during presentations.
• Transmit images wirelessly from the screen to multiple mobile devices of participants in the audience.

That last one has the coolest features and shows where this technology is headed. It’s really all about an interactive and dynamic experience between presenters and participants.

These new devices are built to foster interaction and collaboration. I am also seeing their ability to increase efficiency and productivity in our workplaces. Users who run technology like VDI, short for virtual desktop infrastructure, can even pull up their personal desktop from their offices on the screen in the meeting room down the hall or across town. (See my blog on VDI).

The convergence of technology is growing at an exponential rate and the possibilities of devices like this are trending right along side. These devices will soon move from sought after to the standard in corporate settings across our communities.